This chapter is dedicated to @rockroyal22 for being amazing!

Enjoy!

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M A R I N A ♡ S H A H R O Z

A sharp pain went through Shahroz's chest to his head and he lost control of the car.

His heart went into panic mode as his hands tried to turn the steering wheel but the stinging in his chest and the headache kept his hands and body frozen.

He looked up and saw the pole come closer and closer and his eyes widened more as the time passed.

Soon, there was no distance left between the car and the pole for him to dwell on as the vehicle drove itself into the pole.

His head hit the steering wheel and he fell unconscious in an instant after a throbbing pain was felt in his head.

The passenger seat was the one which was smashed to pieces, Shahroz being in slight luck of not sitting there.

Marina appeared from her car and gasped when she saw Shahroz, his face still on the steering wheel.

She unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled his body on her to get him out, his weight falling on her.

She brought him out of the car and layed him down, his head on her lap as she wiped the blood on his forehead, a few tears falling from her eyes.

She firmly pressed her palm on his chest - slightly to his left - to feel the constant vibration of his heart.

Nothing.

She whimpered a 'what' before checking his pulse on the sides of his neck.

Nothing.

She brought him up and shook his shoulders, her tears coming out faster and her cheeks and eyes were getting red.

"Shahroz are you dead?!" Her voice wavered as she practically shouted for him to hear, thinking a loud voice might reach his ears.

His eyes were closed as his body shook with the rhythm of her hands, his body lifeless.

She shouted again.

"Shahroz, answer me, please." She shook her head already, thinking doing this was futile, "Please don't tell me you're dead. Please."

She checked his pulse again and now she was confirmed, her happiness and anything else that's positive evaporating into thin air.

"Shahroz you.. you died.." She whispered lifelessly as she buried her head in his chest and cried her heart out, her tears soaking his shirt but that was the least of her problems right now.

She looked up, her eyes landing on his face as she pushed his dark locks behind which were coming into his eyes.

She wanted to have a good look at him before he gets buried.

She wanted to remember him.

She heard him mumble something wordlessly before he fell into a sleep for eternity.

"Maria.."

•••

Her eyes finally opened due to the high temperature of the bedroom which couldn't let her enjoy a peaceful night's sleep.

She looked to her left and saw Shahroz's sleeping figure and smiled softly.

Images of last night flashed in her mind and she felt heat climbing up to her cheeks and settling there.

She realised the only times he says her real name is when he's serious or if things are.. intimate.

He was constantly asking her if it's too much for her or if it hurts.

He kept kissing her and telling her that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever layed his eyes upon, and that the night was only for him to focus on her, and only her.

To show her what he felt for her.

To pleasure her.

To love her.

He even kept eye contact with her the whole time while doing that, his face just inches above hers.

He was so caring.

She was in love with every imperfection and flaw of him, and she fell in love with him in a different way that night.

She turned to her left again and saw his face slightly.. stressed.

So she bent her body in his direction and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek and forehead, her lips lingering a little longer before she pulled away and saw his face visibly relax.

She snuggled herself closer to him and kicked one leg out of the covers before closing her eyes and hoping sleep to come get her.

But that wish was a little unrealistic at the moment as Shahroz's eyes flashed open and he sat up immediately, his head in his hands as he processed what just happened.

He had a nightmare.

"Shahroz?" His wife asked as soon as she heard his erratic breathing, "What's wrong?"

She sat up and placed her left hand on his right shoulder, her expressions showing concern.

"Is everything okay?"

He suddenly remembered her panic-stricken voice from his dream and he wanted to scream to let the voice out of his head.

'Shahroz are you dead?!'

'Shahroz, answer me, please.'

'Please don't tell me you're dead. Please.'

'Shahroz you.. you died..'

He wanted to cry at the moment for seeing the moment he had forgotten the night of the drastic event.

He was trying so hard not to cry.

He was a husband now - her husband - and he didn't want to show her that he's weak and still cries at stupid things when he should be holding her instead.

He had showed her enough of how weak he was already.

"Shahroz." She looked worried now, "Are you alright?"

He tightly closed his eyes shut in agony, his attempt to block her out being futile.

She removed her hand from his shoulder and instead placed it on his hand and turning him in her direction by pushing his shoulder in her way.

"What's wrong?" She asked him and he looked down, his face hidden from her to hide his weaknesses.

Her hands cupped his face and brought his head up, making him face her as the moonlight shone through the window, casting shadows on their faces to make them see each other a step away from clearly.

His eyes met hers and her tear-stricken face from his dream flashed in his mind and he couldn't control the first tear that fell.

"Oh my God Shahroz are you okay?" She immediately wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her, despite the fact that they were both completely unclothed.

He was full-on sobbing now as he hugged her with a need he didn't know he felt while she rubbed soothing circles on his skin.

He was glad she was really okay, as she looked so broken in his dream.

She pulled away and held his face in her hands, "Now tell me, what's wrong?"

His bottom lip quivered as he looked at her, his state vulnerable.

"I-I remember.."

"What do you remember?"

He looked down and looked up again, his decision of telling her pending.

He had told her so many things about him when they weren't even this close, so what was stopping him now?

He didn't want to show her that he'll always be weak.

His eyes landed on hers which were pleading him to share his thoughts with her.

To hold him until the pain goes away.

To kiss him until it's finally alright.

"I remember the night of the.. the accident.." He trailed off and examined her reaction.

Her mouth formed an 'o' before she recovered and asked him again.

"What do you remember from your dream?"

She wanted him to let it all out as the pain of keeping it in him must be unbearable.

"I saw the car c-crash, and I saw you c-c-cry." He croaked, "And I saw myself d-die."

His face contorted in pain and her eyes widened.

"Shahroz." She said his name quietly, "You're still alive, and you're okay."

He nodded his head, "But it l-looked so.. real.."

He looked down once he said that, afraid of seeing her in his pain.

"Shahroz, look at me." She said softly and he hesitated but still did as he was told.

"You're not dead, as you saw. And even if you remember some parts, Allah still kept you alive and okay till now. It was destined for you to survive and for us to meet. It was destined for your life to be saved."

She wiped a tear which had escaped from her eye as she thought of what would've happened if she wouldn't have saved him.

She would've never forgiven herself for letting another person die in her arms again.

But she mentally shook her head.

Allah had destined for her to save him that night.

There's no ifs in this situation.

She zoned back in and saw his expression sadden as she caressed his cheek lovingly, their eyes meeting.

'I love you.' She wanted to say but stopped herself.

She pressed her rosy lips on his cheek before she pulled away and gave him a sad smile.

"Shahroz." She whispered, "I'm okay. You're okay. We're both okay, Alhamdulillah. And I think your dream was just a reminder of something. Maybe for you to cherish every moment of your life before it's too late. Maybe for something else, as the real reason is only known by Allah."

She smiled softly before he gave his innocent one too.

She kissed his lips before lying back down and gesturing him to join her.

"Come here."

He eagerly came and she couldn't help but think that he looked like a little kid who needed some love.

He layed his head on her bare breast, his left hand around her stomach and his right hand disappearing under the pillow as he sniffed softly, his tears long gone as she stroked his hair.

A thought was bugging her and she needed to voice it.

"Why weren't you gonna tell me in the beginning?"

As soon as he heard what she said, he wrapped his arms around her even tighter as he pressed his cheek further in her chest.

He hesitated but told her anyway.

"I didn't want you to think that I'm weak."

Her fingers stopped their motion.

"What?" She asked rhetorically before tilting his chin up with her finger.

He squirmed under her gaze as he felt too exposed.

"Shahroz." She always said his name when she's about to say something serious.

She continued.

"We're married. You're my husband - the man I want to spend the rest of my life with - and I'm your wife-"

"-the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with." He interrupted her and she smiled as she stared at the wall ahead, her hand running its fingers in his hair again.

"We can't hide things which hurt us, as we're in this marriage together. We stay together. We smile together. We laugh together. We fight together."

She paused.

"We do everything together."

He smiled and she placed a last kiss on his forehead before lying back down properly and closing her eyes as she kept stroking his hair.

Her fingers soon slowed down and they both fell in a sleep which couldn't have been more peaceful.

•••

He smiled as he parked his car in the driveway.

Today, he wanted to do something special for her.

So he stopped by the nearest jewellery store by the hospital and bought her a ring which would most probably win her heart, as he thought.

Marina didn't want an engagement so she straight-on requested for a Nikah.

He hadn't given her a proper wedding gift other than the dowry, and he really wanted to do at least a tinge of what she did to him.

He got out of his car and unlocked the door, his footsteps taking him to the kitchen as she's usually there everytime.

The place was empty.

He took his coat off and fixed his hair in the mirror nearby before walking upstairs and opening their bedroom door.

Once he took a step in, his eyes landed straight on her as she brushed her thick strands, her white floral dress complimenting her jasmine scent.

"Assalamu Alaiykum." He smiled as he saw her look at him through the mirror before turning to him and grinning.

"Walaikum Assalam." She went back to fixing the tangles in her hair.

For the first time, he didn't start teasing her as soon as he entered his home.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his thighs as he watched her the whole time doing God-knows-what with her hair.

She stopped and looked at him through the mirror, "Why are you staring at me?"

He smiled sweetly, "Can't a man stare at his wife?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well not until she feels uncomfortable."

He immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her on the bed, her body landing perfectly in a sitting position next to him as she glared at him.

He kissed her jaw.

"Do you feel uncomfortable now?"

She nodded.

He kissed her cheek.

"Now?"

She nodded again.

He kissed her nose.

"Now?"

She didn't look at him the entire time, her arms crossed as she nodded again, a smile threatening to erupt on her face as she was enjoying this a lot.

He sighed as his hand went behind his jeans before pulling out a blue velvet box.

Her eyes landed on the box and she turned to him and gasped, her right hand covering her mouth in surprise.

"Shahroz you didn't have t-"

"I had to."

He gave her his breathtaking smile as he opened the box and a ring appeared from inside it.

It had one diamond in the middle as the centre of attention, with small tiny diamonds around on the loop of silver.

He took her hand - which was small compared to his - and gingerly slipped the ring in her ring finger, the diamond sparkling in their eyes.

She straightened her fingers and examined it, the smile never leaving her lips.

"It's.. it's beautiful." She breathed.

He smiled at her happiness, as her happiness will always be his happiness.

"You make it look beautiful." He sighed in content.

Her eyes left the ring and she looked up at him, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He tilted his head and a few of his brown locks fell on his forehead.

She pushed his hair back, her expression awed as she held his face and pressed her lips on his softly, their eyes closing as her mouth stayed on his for a while.

She pulled away and his eyes looked at her lips in a trance, his eyes glazed with love.

"I see now you aren't uncomfortable." He grinned and she threw her head back and laughed, her voice being the thing which always lit up his world.

He had hoped that they'd always be this happy.

In this life.

And in the Hereafter.

•••

Hey there peeps! I wrote this chapter in sort of a hurry. I want to thank each and every one of you who is reading my book and telling me how much they love it. I'll surely miss Marina and Shahroz :'( They will be in Shaheer's book tho which I'll write most probably next year, but I'll post the prologue and aesthetics soon. Some things weren't cleared in this book and I had decided that I'll do it in Shaheer's book.

Take care and InshAllah Allah showers you all with His blessings!

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